Thus, three diabolical forces have joined (cryptocurrency, NASCAR, and partisan politics), and this whole annoying saga continues.
In case you’re out of the loop, the LGB phenomenon started way back in October—when the 28-year-old Brown won a race at the Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama. For whatever reason, the crowd that day erupted in shouts of “Fuck Joe Biden!” following his win. A reporter at the location, Kelli Stavast, heard the crowd chanting this and, seemingly confused, told the driver and her viewers they were chanting “Let’s Go Brandon!” The phrase subsequently gained popularity at conservative sporting events—and some sort of weird panic ensued.
Now, two-ish months later, the slogan has inspired explainers in the Associated Press and NPR, analysis and deep thoughts from The Atlantic, an explosion of associated merch, a shoutout from a Southwest Airlines pilot (who got compared to ISIS and almost lost his job), and, yeah, a new memecoin for the saying’s fans’ investing pleasure. Proving that he’s a true American, Brown has decided to cash-in on his unintentional designation as our country’s newest idiotic culture war flashpoint—a development that is also totally unsurprising.
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Yes, quite a ride it’s all been. If you haven’t followed this whole little melodrama you’d really be forgiven because, ultimately… who cares? Shouting “fuck the President” has been a tradition in this country since probably its founding (hell, there was actually a song devoted to telling Trump to fuck himself), so it’s unclear why anyone would expect that to change now. More than anything, this turn of events is just annoying, because it means I’ll have to keep reading about “LGB” and what it all means for the foreseeable future—or at least until NASCAR season is over.